Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are just a couple of days away from starting the 2026 WNBA campaign. After her sophomore campaign was marred by injuries, the most exciting player in the league is back to full health and ready to compete.
Unfortunately, Clark’s mind may be elsewhere.
ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that one of Clark’s best friends, Kate Martin, who she played for the Iowa Hawkeyes with during her college career, was cut by the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday.
“To get to their opening day roster, the Golden State Valkyries have waived Kate Martin and have also filed for a replacement contract for Iliana Rupert, who is pregnant,” Philippou reported.
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“Tough business side of sports—Kate Martin getting waived shows how competitive those final roster spots are, even for promising young player,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“This is dumb as hell but I saw it coming once they said she was hurt and then them cutting their draft picks this franchise might be the most unserious one ive seen in my life,” someone else added.
“Ithink Rupert news is bigger. Valkyries lost 2 top centers from last yr to FA. Left with Stokes and Amihere now. Similar to Lynx losing Alanna and Shepard and counting on Juhasz who is now injured,” another fan added.
It’ll be intriguing to see what’s next for Martin, who is one of the most popular players in the league.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.